Mumbai: Commuters, who have been waiting for the much-delayed Andheri-Goregaon extension of Harbour line, can finally hope that it would be operational by November as a trial run was successfully held on Saturday.
The trial run conducted by officials of the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) between Andheri and Goregaon was successful, and all the technical issues were cleared.
The Andheri-Goregaon extension on Harbour line is a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) II. Around five to seven lakh commuters will benefit from the extension daily, and it will also help to decongest other stations such Andheri and Vile Parle that have recorded one of the highest footfall on the Western Railway (WR). The trail was conducted by running an engine between the Harbour's Andheri and Goregaon section as the final technical parameters were completed.
The engine ran without any glitch, and one of the major doubts of the alignment of the railway tracks was finally resolved. An MRVC official said, “The trial is important as the ground on which the tracks have been laid must be in exact accordance with what the state and railways have agreed upon.”
He also said, “This section has to be integrated with the already existing WR line. It is a historic accomplishment as it was completed in a space-starved city like Mumbai.”
The trail was conducted in the presence of officials from three railway bodies — CR, WR and MVRC. The success of the project was met with unbridled jubilation. An impromptu bhoomipoojan was also held.
The MRVC's chief managing director (CMD), Prabhat Sahai said, "We conducted a trial of the line on Saturday evening, and after it's success, we are confident that the services on this section will be operationally by November end." "The line will be now inspected by the commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), who will examine whether it is adhering to all the parameters set by the Indian Railways. Mr Sahai also added, "We have given ourselves enough cushion time by conducting the trail now, so after the CRS' inspection the line will be operational in November."
The MRVC is the executing body of all MUTP projects approved by the Indian Railways.
